Friday, March 12, 2010

Hawaii legislature considers loosening marijuana laws

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Three marijuana bills are making their waythrough the Hawaii State Capitol. One bill would take away criminalpenalties for anyone caught with less than an ounce of pot. Instead theywould pay a civil fine of $300 for the first offense and $500 afterthat.

Another bill would allow medical marijuana patients to have more plantsand ounces.

A third bill would allow medical marijuana dispensaries with thegovernment approving permits for shop to open. That bill cleared anothercommittee today, despite opposition from police and prosecutors.

At the very least the state and counties could make few million dollarsa year selling marijuana but opponents say it comes at too high of aprice.

The marijuana discussion was passed around a capitol committee room. Thedebate is over establishing something called "compassion centers," tosell pot to any patient with a doctor's permit.

"One of the problems with this is it would be almost impossible for thecompassion center to verify that these are actually legitimate permits,"testified Keith Kamita, State Department of Public Safety NarcoticsEnforcement Division Chief.

Another concern is that the government would essentially become a drugdealer taking a cut from the marijuana sales. The state would tax $30per ounce and the counties would get $5,000 in annual registration fees.

Even in the worst of economic times the state attorney general, speakingon behalf of all county police chiefs and prosecutors says that's aterrible idea.

"It allows essentially anyone other than a convicted felon to set upmassive centers for the sales of marijuana," testified Mark Bennett,State Attorney General. "It just makes absolutely no sense for the Stateof Hawaii to become potentially the legal marijuana sale capitol of theworld."

Plenty of supporters also spoke up.

"What you do is increase the supply you decrease the value. If you getrid of the black market, you got rid of the black market," testifiedMyron Berney, supporter. "Moses never said anything bad about it. Jesusnever said anything bad about it. Buddha or Mohammed never said anythingbad about it."

"It's been smoked for thousands of years all over the world, no one hasever died from ingesting marijuana," testified George Fox, supporter.

"I think it's now important that we now provide the mechanism for peoplelike myself, patients suffering, to have this available to them,"testified Brian Shaughnessy, private attorney.

"My point is in Hawaii we have an opportunity to do it right we candesign a distribution center from scratch," testified Pamela Lichty,Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii President.

Most lawmakers agreed approving the bill and sending it to the judiciarycommittee bringing the pipe dream closer to reality.

"We believe this is a mistake and will bring a great many ills toHawaii," said Attorney General Bennett after the hearing.

Lawmakers also attached amendments to the bill today that said amarijuana center should be placed within one mile of a police station,but not within two miles of a school although lawmakers also said thereare a lot more details to work out.